St. Landry democrat., 1887-06-18

lan's first disappointment He began the
march up the Peninsula April 1, 1852 His
army was divided into two columns, right
and left. The right marched up along York
river toward Yorktown, under Gen. Heint-
7elman. The left, commanded by Gen. Reyes,
followed the James river up toward Williams
burg. BY following the line of march upon
the map, the course Of the two columns will
be clear. Reyes was to proceed as rapidly as
might be on the west and occupy Halfway
House, point on the narrow dividing ridge
which formed the watershed between the
York and James rivers. He was to halt here
and by all means prevent either the escape of
the Confederate garrison at Yorktown or the
throwing in of re-enforcements to them.
Reyes was expected to reach Halfway
House April s. But he did not. The two
months rain of the spring Of 1862 began as
the Federal army began to move The roads
became at some points impossible for artil-
lery.
Another thing: In all the years that the
United States had been country there never
had been an accurate map made of this part
OF Virginia. Of the region Immediately in
front OF Heintzelman's column there was no
better map than the one made when the Brit
2sh besieged Yorktown in 1881. A govern
ment survey OF the Peninsula had been
made in 1878, but later than that there was
nothing to go by.
The land before McClellan;s army was an
unknown region OF swamp, with rain nour-
ing night and day, and lines of heavy Com
federate Notifications between it and Rich
mond. OF all this the two advancing col
umns knew nothing, except just that it
rained. That was plain enough,
April Keyes marched five miles out. en-
countered the Confederate Notifications at
Lees Mills and stopped Seven miles below
Yorktown there was line of Notifications
qlite across the solid ground of the Peninsula.
which, between the head of Warwick river
and York river, narrowed to three miles
BESIDES that the Confederates had damned
che deep creeks flowing into the James and
Warwick rivers, which had backed the water
into impenetrable boys
The Confederate army of the Peninsula yas
under the immediate command Of Gan r
Bankhead Magruder. He had prenarad or
begun three lines Of fertilization across the
Peninsula The first one was seven miles
below Yorktown. While McC)c1,an had
been coupling his army and getting a arood
ready" at Washington, the Confederates had
been fortifying between him and Richmond
It was the Warwick river and the fort;f;ca.
lions along its course which stopped Mcc1al-
lan's army, both Heintzel1nan on the right
and Reyes on the left This river ON ths
maps Mcclellan had access to flowed naralls1
with those rivers, nearly southeast n
reality it flowed across the Peninsula hatrvaa,,
the rivers
It made formidable barrier, fortified az !.
was Keyes column stopped at Lees Mills
on the Warwick, and encamped there
Heinszelman's column approached nsarsr
Yorktown, where 1t was also stopped by the
Warwick This was Magruder,s second and nd
most important line OF fortifcationa Tha
first had been abandoned March /. The old
line Of Notifications thrown up by the Rritish
In 1881 had been revived by Magruder Along
the line Of the Warwick, stretched across the
Peninsula, were II 900 Confederates ana t his
was the force opposed to Mcclellan with b,s
army of s., 600 men. -
President Lincoln kept dispatchinp to him
to astrike blow Magruder exnecfe3 an
attack. His troops lay upon their arms n
the trenches ssveral days awaiting the ATTACH
Opposite where McClellan's army Law. near